This invention relates to inductive devices having conductive areas on their surface.
A typical inductive device is formed by winding conductive wire around the body of a magnetic core or around a bobbin supporting a magnetic core. Transformers, for example, have primary and secondary windings surrounding the body of the core. The terminations of the primary and secondary windings are connected to input and output circuits, respectively. When used in an electronic circuit, a transformer performs the function of stepping up or down an input voltage and providing an output with a required voltage, frequency, and phase.
In a typical electronic assembly the winding terminations of inductive devices are inserted into holes in the printed circuit board and soldered. Electronic components in a typical electronic assembly are often mounted on the surface of a printed circuit board by an automated assembly process. To permit surface mounting of an inductive device the core with the windings typically is attached to a structure (e.g. a box or a frame). The winding terminations are attached to features on the exterior of the structure (contacts or leads), which in turn are attached to a printed circuit board. The structure and interposing attachment features occupy additional volume which would otherwise have been available for circuit elements. The shape of the core used for an inductive device also affects the space otherwise available for other circuit components. Typical inductive devices use cylindrical or ring-shaped annular cores. These toroidal structures do not fit well with the other mostly square electronic components on the printed circuit board. Inductive devices with non-toroidal cores exhibit flux leakage and demagnetization due to their geometry. A more rectangular core shape is shown for example in U.S. pat. No. 5,546,065. That patent describes the use of conductive shields on the surface of the magnetic core to control leakage inductance.